PR & words

What working full time and blogging really looks like

Right here I should really include a photo of me looking slightly dishevelled, exhausted, a little fraught but happy. But non of y’all really need to see that do you? I do however want to give you a little insight into what it’s like to work full time and run a blog, fyi I’m also training for a half marathon at the moment too so I am busier than usual.

I don’t know if all of my readers realise I actually work as well as blog. I know that for many of my favourite bloggers including Lily Pebbles, Vivanna Does Makeup and Hannah Gale their blog is their actual job. It’s their business, their baby and their livelihood I can’t even imagine how hard they’ve worked to get there. My blog is just a side project to my real job, a kind of hobby that takes up a lot of my social time and almost all of my thinking time.

This is why my blog, in comparison to the super duper blogs of those I’ve just mentioned is very much behind and no where near as beautiful or interesting. If blogs were teenagers in the playground the likes of Kate’s Gh0st Parties, Zoella and Essie Button would be super hot mega babes and the most popular girls in school. Mary Olivia Hickey would be that awkward wannabe trying to pull off blue eyeshadow, with a monobrow and toilet roll stuck to her shoe. She’d be the girl following the crowd and trying to keep up with everyone else, she’d be well liked but not included on the guest list to the best parties and nobody would want to pair up with her to discuss favelas in Geography. But I’m really routing for her, I want her to do well, gain confidence and realise she doesn’t need to fit in she just needs to be herself and try her best.

So I’m gonna stop personifying blogs. I just wanted to let you know that the reason I give up so much of my free time is because I want my blog to do well and I want people to enjoy it. I think many of my readers, the majority of whom are friends think spilling out a blog post is kinda easy and it’s all just fun fun fun. They probably wonder why my pictures aren’t very fancy and why I don’t upload any video content but when you look at my day-to-day schedule here’s why.

I wake up every morning at 7am, throw on whatever I’ve picked out the night before, wolf down a bowl of porridge and jump on the 8am train. There’s no time for #ootd or a morning detox that I can share, I just get up and go. My commute is long and tedious I often catch up on a TV show on my iPad or read blogs whilst constantly scanning around for my own blog inspiration and working out how I can make my latest idea work. That’s the thing about blogs, there’s no news wires or being fed the latest scoop. You’ve literally gotta pluck ideas out of thin air and due to the fact the blogging world is so saturated right now, that original idea you just had has probably already been scooped up 5 days ago.

I work 9.30-6 and I always try to switch off from my blog during working hours. During my lunch break I occasionally re-share my blog, jot down the odd idea and schedule my blogging week. I also engage with the brands I feature on my blog via social media. I always Tweet any brands that appear on my blog and they often reply, favouriting my tweet that mentions how amazing their product is. BUT WHY OH WHY CAN’T YOU RT MY TWEET SO ALL OF YOUR THOUSANDS OF FOLLOWERS CAN READ MY BLOG?!

The commute home is the same old fighting for a seat debacle whilst planning a blog and what’s for tea in my little old head that’s shattered after a day at work. I walk through my door between 7.30-7.45pm. On Mondays and Wednesdays I write a blog post and schedule it for Tuesday and Thursday. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays I run, usually 30 mins to 1 hour so by the time I can actually switch off, eat dinner, have a shower oh and actually spend time with my boyfriend it’s 9.30pm. I actually don’t switch off though, I’m Tweeting, reading blogs and scribbling down yet another idea down in my notepad. I try to actually switch off, at 10pm, watch the evening news and head to bed. Blog ideas keep me awake for a good hour then it’s off to sleep and before I know it it’s 7am again.

I also blog at the weekends. Every Saturday I write my Highs of The Week and my favourite beauty/style/home-wear moments from the month, and that’s where we come to another slight glitch I actually have to do stuff to have any Highs of The Week and experiment with products so I can tell you all about them. Whilst sitting down to write the odd blog post might seem kinda easy I actually need experiences to write about. I need to Instagram outfits before spilling a drink down my top, because I seem to draw in a lot of traffic from sharing the odd #ootd followed by my most used hashtags #bbloggers #lbloggers #bloggers. I have to make yummy food and drag my ass off the sofa and run because I’ve told my readers that’s what I do. I need to enjoy picturesque walks and perfect the ideal selfie. I do enjoy all of this, all the fun I have that I then share with you, I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t. But there is something quite unnatural about never savouring a moment and instead thinking about the best way to express that moment on my blog. Every Saturday I’ve also gotta fit in a week’s worth of chores, actually see my friends, clean my home and try to keep on top of a pile of laundry that never seems to go down in size.

Sunday is my day off. I go for a long run in the morning then I return home, put my pyjamas back on, often ignore my phone and watch films with Joe. It’s my favourite time of the week, but I also look forward to all the blogging I’ve planned for the week ahead.

I have a crazy, manic and exhausting schedule to keep up with, but I love it. I’ve sacrificed a lot for this way of life but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Whilst many go crazy living a non stop life I’m the opposite, when I’m not busy I go insane. I put enormous pressure on myself but I often achieve what I set out to do and that makes me incredibly proud. My blog is one of the few things I actually control, it’s mine and nothing can or will ever change that. If you’re thinking of starting a blog I would highly recommend it. It’s testing, exhausting and at times kind of lonely but it’s also incredibly honest and one of the best things I have ever or will ever do.

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4 thoughts on “What working full time and blogging really looks like”

Completely sympathise, I’ve also got a very stressful full time journo job whilst also being an editor for a music website, social media for my mum’s cake business and blogging too – be careful not to wear yourself out though as I got really bad headaches because of it all a few months ago.
Love reading your blog though 🙂